Wednesday, January 1, 2014

The Tree Shaker

Roli grew up in a small village where a typical day included
tending cattle, playing games with other boys, and listening to tribe elders tell
stories of inspiration. Roli was also a
grandson of the tribal king, but tradition determined that his family branch
was ineligible to inherit the throne.Nevertheless, Roli was well-cared for, and he enjoyed many of the benefits
of being tribal royalty.He began
attending school at the age of 7 and would be the first member of his family to
learn to read.

Roli’s plan was to gain the necessary skills to become an advisor for
the royal house.He attended a
prestigious college that was the only institution of its kind to accept black
students.A year after enrolling, he
became involved in a leadership role in the student government. Dissatisfied
with the school’s meal quality, he helped organize a protest boycott.Unfortunately, the school had little
tolerance for such demonstrations, and suspended the boycotters, including Roli.It was his first taste of activism, as well
as its potentially serious consequences.

Leaving college without a degree, Roli first secured a job as a
night watchman, then as a clerk at a law firm.There, he made friends with colleagues dedicated to battling racism and
advocating for equality.Roli became
increasingly political, marching in a successful protest against an increase in
bus fares.When he saw how fares were
lowered in response to the protestors’ efforts, it was moment of true
inspiration.

Within a few years, Roli had completed his bachelor’s degree
through correspondence courses and had begun studying law.He also knew his life plans had changed,
realizing that he was more interested in a political path fighting for equality
than in the privileged life of a royal advisor.Roli married, had children, and fully immersed himself in a life of
fighting for the rights of others.

Roli is a nickname for Rolihlahla, which means “tree shaker” or “troublemaker.”
He never really cared for the name, and
enthusiastically accepted the English name given to him in his first year of
school.His schoolmates called him
Nelson.The world knew him as Mandela.

Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela was a talented young man with bright
prospects who risked everything to stand up for human rights in the face of oppression.His efforts and passion for change would see
him imprisoned by a tyrannical government for more than 27 years, before world
pressures would force a change.Upon his
release, Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected President, serving
from 1994 to 1999, and receiving more than 250 honors, including the 1993 Nobel
Peace Prize.

As the world continues to mourn the loss of Mandela, I thought it
would be appropriate to start the New Year celebrating and embracing one of his
greatest attributes… his sense of connectedness. In Africa there is a concept known as Ubuntu, an idea that we accomplish
nothing entirely on our own. Mandela
believed that we are human only through the humanity of others. Our greatest dreams are only achieved through
equal measures of our own work and the support of others.

There is no doubt that Mandela was a rare leader who, in a single
lifetime, liberated millions of people, thereby empowering them to pursue their
own passions and dreams. But Mandela was
the first to admit that, in order for him to achieve even the smallest degree
of success, he needed to stand on the shoulders of many great leaders that came
before him.

I was in South Africa in the summer of 2013 when Mandela was
hospitalized with the illness that would ultimately claim his life. During that time, I read this simple but
eloquent quote from the great leader: “Men come and men go. I have come and I will go when my time comes. What counts in life is not the mere fact that
we have lived. It is what difference we
have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the
life we led.”

As we start 2014, I hope you will embrace the We Are Connected mindset, and realize how each of us is a thread in
the tapestry of Mandela’s greatness. His
inspiration paves the way for us all to dream big and make a meaningful impact
on the lives of others. It’s time to
shake some trees!

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Scott Shickler

About me

Scott is one of the world’s leading experts on youth empowerment and entrepreneurship. The Wall Street Journal referred to him as a serial and parallel entrepreneur due to the number of businesses he started in diverse industries. Collectively his companies have grossed over $37 million with businesses ranging from software to seminars and real estate to restaurants. Shickler is the author or coauthor of 8 books including, The Ultimate Entrepreneur and The 7 Mindsets to Live Your Ultimate Life. Scott also wrote the Boy Scout Merit Badge booklet on entrepreneurship. He has been featured on CNN, ABC & NBC News, and in The New York Times. Shickler is currently the CEO and founder of Excent Corporation – a multi-million dollar education company serving millions of students and educators throughout the world. Scott grew up in New York and now lives in Atlanta with his wife and two sons. He is a graduate of Fordham University and also the cofounder of the Magic Wand Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to empowering youth to live their dreams.